CHAPTER619
“What are you doing, Kiddo?” Jake nudges me in the side as he comes up beside me on the wooden bench, where I have been watching their kids play together from afar. Sat in the far end of their beautiful gardens under the shade of the trees.
Arrick left. I don’t know if he drove one of his family cars back to the city or hopped on a flight, but all I know is he is gone and has been for a couple of hours.
“Sitting in your garden” I clear my throat and avoid eye contact, knowing fine well what he means.
“Breaking up with the guy you want to marry and sending him packing? We both know you can’t survive without him, so I am asking again… What are you doing?” Jake slides his legs out casually and stretches beside me, occupying way too much space to ignore him and I sink back beside him with a huge sigh.
“Trying to get though whatever this is, alone for once. To stop needing other people to help fix me.” I avoid him, even though I can feel those green eyes zoned in on the side of my face. Studying me with that quick brain and picking me apart. A Carrero trait that is a little annoying at times.
“So, sending home my little brother in a complete mess, thinking he’s lost the only girl who will ever make him happy… Probably has his head in his shiny oven right now.” Jake nudges me playfully and even though I know he’s trying to get to me with humor, it cuts a little close to the bone.
Arrick probably is a mess. I know him, how much he loves me and that’s half the problem. He is suffocating me with it.
“If I didn’t make him think it was a breakup … He wouldn’t have gone. I need space right now. Arrick isn’t good at space when all his care giver cylinders are firing full throttle.”
That’s an understatement.
“So, you send him off single and broken-hearted back to the city to spend the next week with a busty PA who practically undresses in front of him at every opportunity… Smooth move.” He chuckles and shoulders me as I spin to him in a flash of fury, insane instant jealousy as my breath and heart stop simultaneously and a fire engulfs me. I catch him grinning at me and gawp in reaction.
“You’re an asshole… Why would you say that to me?” I balk, slapping him hard across the shoulder a tad aggressively. He laughs at my feeble assault and shrugs.
“Just checking you still love him.” He winks, and I glare harder.
“If she lays one fucking finger on him…” I grind out murderously, seething inwardly with a picture of that bitch in my mind’s eye. Even the thought makes me feel sick and Jake shoves me.
“He’s single, isn’t he? … You don’t have a say really.” He’s trying to get to me, because Jake can be an ass and he thinks he can play me into running home after Arrick, but it will fix nothing. All he is doing is making me feel crazy frantic and insecure about what he might do now we’re not together.
Thinking about the fact that what he says is technically true makes me feel ill to my stomach. I don’t even want to think that he could or would do something like that and the blood drains from my face like a cold wash of water.
“You don’t think…?” I catch the tears in my throat and Jake’s expression drops to one of complete seriousness. Hand coming to my shoulder as I start to cry, and I think even he realizes he pushed too far. I’m not in a frame of mind for this kind of Jake humor and it makes me sob.
“Not unless she had a makeover and a name change to one Sophie Huntsberger, then no… Arrick was lost a long time ago to the wiles of mere women when a certain blonde took a firm grip of his heart. Will he be stupid enough to go home, get drunk and try to punch his heartbreak out? Most likely… Sex with his PA? … No. He’s a hopeless romantic, committed to you and he knows if he does anything like that then he won’t ever get you back. We both know his brain is only on that purpose. The guy loves you, Sophabelle… In the way I love Emma, so I get how his head works.”
I sniff and wipe my face with my sleeve, pushing it all back down and lean back into the crook of his arm so he can hug me on the seat. Heart erupting in little splintered splices of pain and head a mess with this new worry to add to all of it. The thought of Arry ever betraying me that way is the single most devastating thought in my head.
He slides it higher around my shoulder and pulls my face against his chest in a fatherly way, kissing me on top of my hair affectionately. Jake is good at comfort, but he’s not Arrick and I miss him already.
“He told you that I’m jealous about her, didn’t he?” I swallow down my frayed emotions and Jake shrugs against me.
“He told me about you walking into probably the worst looking scenario ever and that he went into full panic mode that you might not believe it was innocent. I know that he proposed to you that night because he wanted you to know you had nothing to worry about, and that he is still infatuated with you. Arry understands why it’s left you a little sensitive.” He kicks his feet out on the grass and sinks lower, pulling me with him so he’s comfier and I end up with a face full of Jake bicep in the process. I wriggle and squirm to get free, but he doesn’t relent until I end up pushing his arm back down out of my way. Over the years I have learned to trust him like a second father, and I know he would never do anything to hurt me and hugs like this have become more bearable.
“You don’t think I should watch her, mistrust her?” I glance up at him sideways, still trying to get comfortable, wondering how much he actually notices with working beside them. I feel awful for asking, like I’m snooping on Arry, but this is something which has crossed my mind a few times. Jake sits thoughtfully for a few seconds and gazes at his kids across the lawn. A small hint of a smile as he watches them play. Fatherly pride that makes me desolate, knowing his brother could have had that look on his face one day.
“She’s paid to do a job. She might have a thing for my brother but as he’s not interested, and she wouldn’t jeopardize her position, then no. I think you should trust him and let it go. If he felt working with her crossed any line concerning you, he would have fired her, Sophie. Arrick’s a straight player and he doesn’t mess about. He knows what he would lose.” Jake looks and sounds completely factual. He wouldn’t lie about something like this and I know he’s right.
I do trust, Arrick, it’s that I don’t trust her and something in my gut tells me that she wasn’t so innocent in him not getting his plane back to my show a few weeks back. He maintained she couldn’t get him a flight, but I have doubts she tried until it was too late. I know I’m trying to deflect my mind to something pointless and I sigh heavily at everything. “My head is way messy. I have no clue what to think or feel lately, about anything.” Her aside. I am so emotionally tired.
“You’re both going through some major shit, kiddo. The baby… Whether you wanted it or not, has left its scar on both of you, and I think time apart might not be the best idea, but if it’s what you think you need then I’m here if you need me. Emma is here to talk, when you’re ready and even though your family have no idea what’s going on… They know something’s up, Sophs. Arrick left and you’re still here, that speaks volumes, but everyone knows you will clam up and only speak to Emma. No one will push but they are all here if you need them.”
I take a moment to consider his words and stare blankly back at the garden. Mia is throwing sand over Lucas, who seems to be encouraging it, and Ava is rolling in it, babbling in that way only toddlers can.
Kids are weird."
